Since the USDA "revised" their Food Guide in 2005 by flipping it on its side and offering color-coded "stripes" rather than the more definitive labeling of food categories, there has been some confusion as to what constitutes a "healthy diet". For example, nutritionists point out that the new USDA Food Guide does not clearly differentiate between "healthy" foods and the "junk foods" that we are supposed to eat sparingly in order to maintain optimum wellness. [1]

THREE DIETARY KEYS to a Longer, Healthier Life

Research studies and analysis indicate that a plant-based diet rich in whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and contribute towards healthy weight management over the long-run. [2]

An analysis of 147 studies has found that a diet emphasizing the following three keys --

1.) incorporating lots of fruits , vegetables, nuts and whole grains,

2.)substituting non-hydrogenated, mono-unsaturated "healthy" fats such as olive oil in place of saturated and trans-fats, and

-- are instrumental in building heart health and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. [3]

This is important, considering that heart disease caused one-third of all deaths worldwide in 1999, according to the American Heart Association, and heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. as well as in Europe [4], and will be the leading cause of death in developing countries by 2010.

Ideal for Longevity and Vitality: The Mediterranean Diet

An impressive body of evidence, as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association and elsewhere, points to the merits of adhering to a food program akin to the Mediterranean Diet. People groups in the Mediterranean part of the world who have adhered to this food guide — eating a diet rich in complex carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables with plenty of fiber and healthier fats such as that from nuts and olive oil — have lower rates of heart disease as compared to the rest of the world. [5]

In addition, the first-ever study to measure the impact of the Mediterranean Diet in the U.S. population has found this healthier way of eating increased life expectancy among Americans. The study surveyed over 380,000 people in the U.S. during a five-year period and found those who ate closest to the Mediterranean diet had significantly lower heart disease and cancer rates as well as lower death rates from all other causes. [6]

It is interesting to note that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, while on earth, lived in Israel which is in the Mediterranean part of the world which consumes this healthy diet. Even to this day, Israel has among the very lowest death rates in the world among the industrialized countries. [7]

[8]

Components of the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet may be summarized as follows (in decreasing order of prominence as you go up the triangle, divided into daily, weekly and monthly frequencies):

> Olive Oil* as an important source of the "good fats" for heart health. (*Be sure to buy ORGANIC olive oil to reduce exposure to pesticide residues.)

Next Level Up:

> Dairy*: Cheese and yogurt (*Because dairy products are made from fat -- the "chemical depositories" of animals -- it is prudent to buy organic versions of these products to reduce chemical residues). Those who cannot digest milk products might consider a reliable, balance calcium supplement (see the "Teaching page" which features criteria for a good supplement). According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 25% of all adults in the U.S. are unable to completely digest lactose (a sugar that occurs naturally in milk), so calcium supplementation would be especially important for these individuals to consider.

II. WEEKLY CONSUMPTION:

(in descending order of quantity)

> Fish:Healthy examples are salmon*, mackarel (smaller sized), snapper, sea bass, whitefish. Avoid larger species of fish (tuna, swordfish, tilefish) which are higher up on the food chain, and tend to contain higher amounts of toxic metals such as mercury.

*Caution: Make sure salmon and other fish you buy is NOT farm raised (for example, "Atlantic salmon" is farm-raised). Farm-raised salmon have TEN times the PCB toxin level as wild salmon, according to a salmon analysis done in British Columbia, Canada, and farm-raised salmon contain large amounts of pesticides, antiobiotics and other toxins. In addition, farm-raised salmon is ARTIFICIALLY COLORED, because otherwise it would be gray in color! It is always better to opt for WILD, ocean-caught salmon.)

Note that shellfish (e.g., crab, oysters, lobster, etc.) and products from the pig (e.g., bacon, ham, sausage, pork, etc.) are omitted from the Mediterranean food guide. They are from scavengers -- the earth's "garbage collectors" -- which God never intended for us to eat! In one of Charles and Frances Hunter's healing training videos, a doctor testified that for several hours after a healthy person eats a pork dinner, their blood when examined under a microscope looks IDENTICAL to a cancer patient's blood!

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For a shopping list sample incorporating many of the foods in the heart-heatlhy Mediterranean food guide, please see the "Healthy Shopping List" page.

[9] Scriptural references regarding foods that are in the Mediterranean diet are mentioned in Benny Hinn's teaching, "The Biblical Road to Health", 1998.

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SWEETS TRANSITIONING TIPS

Adapted from Nutritionist Shelley Keast's recommendations and other sources

Here are tips to help you taper off gradually towards healthier alternatives. You will most likely find that when you switch to healthier foods, your taste buds will "change" and these good-for-you foods will actually start tasting BETTER than the foods you used to eat.

GOOD GOAL — Transition to HEALTHIER SWEETENERS: Fructose, fruit concentrates (not grape or raisin; too much sugar), malt or date sugar, or stevia (sold as a nutritional supplement; may have tendency to leave bitter aftertaste, however).

These sweeteners are OK in very small amounts: Honey, blackstrap molasses and real maple syrup.

FRESH FRUIT, however, is the healthiest alternative to any of these.

(Editor’s note: Try to avoidartificial sweeteners such as Aspartame/NutraSweet® [which have been known to cause adverse reactions] and a “newer” sweetener, Splenda® [Sucralose], which is a sweetener made by combining sugar molecules with chlorine molecules; there have also been indications of adverse reactions with Splenda/Sucralose, and its long-term safety record is still unknown.)

KEY: Read ingredient labels carefully.

The following are arranged in steps from SWEETEST (least healthy) to MOST BENEFICIAL (most healthy) in each category:

SODA

SOFT DRINK

to MARTINELLI SPARKLING JUICE

to FLAVORED SPARKLING WATER

to PURIFIED WATER (with fresh lemon or lime)

FROZEN DESSERT

ICE CREAM

to HONEY HILL FROZEN YOGURT (honey)

to ALTA DENA FROZEN YOGURT (fructose and honey)

to RICE DREAM (rice syrup)

to FROZEN YOGURT

(Caution: WATCH LABELS -- Beware of sugar and fat, and only buy ones made with fructose, non-fat kind.)

Please note that the health and wellness information presented on these pages is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Reader assumes all responsibility as to how he or she applies the information.

FDA requires the following disclaimer: "The health and wellness statements made on this site have not been evaluated by the FDA. Foods/supplements mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease."